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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. band — a ring
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bank — for money
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. last — final
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. content — happy
  14. band — a music group
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bank — for money
  19. last — to go on
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bank — of a river
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com